Tag: how to

Food Waste Feast Is Our Friday Link

Today we want to encourage all our food loving readers to click over to Food Waste Feast, the website that helps you, "Cook more creatively, and stop throwing away perfectly good food."

This site comes from Mei and Irene from the Mei Mei food truck, restaurant, and catering company. We have deep admiration for all the wise, generous, and sustainable decisions this family has made as they've found a place for themselves in the competitive food world.

Now they have found a way to help you become more sustainable by using the food you might be tossing out. Earlier this week, we published a post that explained that "Your Most Expensive Food Is the Food You Waste."

The next step is to buy just what you will use and use what you buy.

Recipes by Ingredient!

The Food Waste Feast team is building valuable resources for those of us who no longer feel that wasting food is acceptable. You can find recipes by ingredient for what you have on hand. For example, the photo above is a recipe they call, "Pasta with Wrinkled Cherry Tomatoes."

They say,

"Because sometimes you get super excited about tomato season, and you purchase three large local containers of cherry tomatoes, and then some of them inevitably linger a bit longer than you wanted them to and get all wrinkly and forlorn on the countertop….anyone else ever find themselves in that position? Just me?"

We say,

Irene and Mei you are not alone. We've done that too. But, from now on when that happens, we'll click over to the recipes by ingredient section of Food Waste Feast and find inspiration for a dish to use them.

More Resources!

Food Waste Feast also gives you information about the issues surrounding food waste and tips on how to buy, store, and use up the things you do purchase and, sadly, when to toss them. For example here is the section on "Veggies that are actually fruits" like those tomatoes we're all overbuying right now.

This is a deep treasure trove of useful information. We suggest you make an initial visit and click around to find the areas you need right now. Then bookmark Food Waste Feast on your phone and make that your reading for times when you have to sit around waiting. Penny has been doing that for the past few weeks and has picked up useful information and been inspired to make new dishes by reviewing the recipes.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos and screenshots: courtesy of Food Waste Feast

August 24, 2018
Train Your Body for Dog Walking with Tai Chi
Recently, one of our favorite dog publications, Bark: the dog culture magazine, featured an article under its Training and Behavior section titled Tai Chi and Dogs.

Penny has been a student of Tai Chi for about a year now and says this will be a lifetime practice for her. Naturally, this post from a most reliable source caught her attention. We thought so much of the content that we decided to share it with our Sunday Dog readers.

Author Christie Green has been studying martial arts for nearly 20 years and has taken her knowledge of Tai Chi and applied it to some of the most common training issues we have with dogs.

She covers:
- How to prepare your body for a dog who is about to jump on you
- How to use your larger back muscles to counter bad leash manners
- How to use a weight shift to control pulling
- How to use relaxation to help with all aspects of dog life but also to improve your reaction time.
What Green says rings true to what Penny has been taught in her Tai Chi classes and gives her one more reason to be grateful for all she's learned while exploring the possibilities of this ancient art.

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: Screengrab from Bark: the magazine of dog culture
May 20, 2018
Train Your Body for Dog Walking with Tai Chi
Recently, one of our favorite dog publications, Bark: the dog culture magazine, featured an article under its Training and Behavior section titled Tai Chi and Dogs.

Penny has been a student of Tai Chi for about a year now and says this will be a lifetime practice for her. Naturally, this post from a most reliable source caught her attention. We thought so much of the content that we decided to share it with our Sunday Dog readers.

Author Christie Green has been studying martial arts for nearly 20 years and has taken her knowledge of Tai Chi and applied it to some of the most common training issues we have with dogs.

She covers:
- How to prepare your body for a dog who is about to jump on you
- How to use your larger back muscles to counter bad leash manners
- How to use a weight shift to control pulling
- How to use relaxation to help with all aspects of dog life but also to improve your reaction time.
What Green says rings true to what Penny has been taught in her Tai Chi classes and gives her one more reason to be grateful for all she's learned while exploring the possibilities of this ancient art.

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: Screengrab from Bark: the magazine of dog culture
May 20, 2018
Habits That Work in the BostonZest Kitchen

If you watch an experienced cook in the kitchen, you could pick up some good habits. There are things they do without thinking that should be part of all our cooking routines.

Work Clean

Wash your hands when you enter the kitchen to prepare to cook. This habit should be part of your food safety plan. As a person who prepares food for yourself and your family, you should be as serious about the topic of food safety as the restaurant chef who holds a Food Safety Certification.

If you are making a number of items, prepare the ones that will be used raw (such as the compound butter above) before you work with items that will be cooked, like the carrots and celery in this photo.

Beware of cross contamination. Use separate cutting boards and knives for meat and fresh foods or wash these items completely in hot, soapy water before changing what you are cutting. And, work on these raw proteins last. Keep them in the refrigerator until you are ready to cut them.

Cross contamination is also a factor if you are cooking for someone with a serious food allergy.

In our small space, we have to clean as we go or there wouldn’t be any counter space left. While involved in a major cooking session, you'll see a container with hot, soapy water for us to toss in soiled utensils as we work.

Hand wash and dry your knives as soon as you finish using them. Knives in a bucket of soapy water are dangerous. Knives sitting on a counter among other cooking detritus are just waiting to cut someone.

Mise en Place and "Meanwhile"

There are times, like when you’re making a stir-fry, risotto, or a complex new recipe, when you should set up a complete collection of ready-to-use ingredients. Chef Sara Moulton came up with the term “meanwhile” for times when you should gather all the ingredients and equipment you need to make a dish and then get started.

Moulton suggests you, “Decide in what order you should prep the ingredients. For a pasta dish, for example, you should start by getting a large pot of water on to boil; meanwhile you can heat the oil in a skillet slowly while you chop the onion. Add the onion to the oil and cook it while you mince the garlic. Add the garlic to the onion while you chop the tomatoes, etc.”

Do you have a favorite habit that works in your kitchen? Share with us and our readers in the comments below!

Related Post:

The Kitchn's "Kitchen Habits of Good Cooks" Series Is Our Friday Link

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino

(Adapted for BostonZest from one of our Fresh & Local newspaper columns.)

October 4, 2017
Habits That Work in the BostonZest Kitchen

If you watch an experienced cook in the kitchen, you could pick up some good habits. There are things they do without thinking that should be part of all our cooking routines.

Work Clean

Wash your hands when you enter the kitchen to prepare to cook. This habit should be part of your food safety plan. As a person who prepares food for yourself and your family, you should be as serious about the topic of food safety as the restaurant chef who holds a Food Safety Certification.

If you are making a number of items, prepare the ones that will be used raw (such as the compound butter above) before you work with items that will be cooked, like the carrots and celery in this photo.

Beware of cross contamination. Use separate cutting boards and knives for meat and fresh foods or wash these items completely in hot, soapy water before changing what you are cutting. And, work on these raw proteins last. Keep them in the refrigerator until you are ready to cut them.

Cross contamination is also a factor if you are cooking for someone with a serious food allergy.

In our small space, we have to clean as we go or there wouldn’t be any counter space left. While involved in a major cooking session, you'll see a container with hot, soapy water for us to toss in soiled utensils as we work.

Hand wash and dry your knives as soon as you finish using them. Knives in a bucket of soapy water are dangerous. Knives sitting on a counter among other cooking detritus are just waiting to cut someone.

Mise en Place and "Meanwhile"

There are times, like when you’re making a stir-fry, risotto, or a complex new recipe, when you should set up a complete collection of ready-to-use ingredients. Chef Sara Moulton came up with the term “meanwhile” for times when you should gather all the ingredients and equipment you need to make a dish and then get started.

Moulton suggests you, “Decide in what order you should prep the ingredients. For a pasta dish, for example, you should start by getting a large pot of water on to boil; meanwhile you can heat the oil in a skillet slowly while you chop the onion. Add the onion to the oil and cook it while you mince the garlic. Add the garlic to the onion while you chop the tomatoes, etc.”

Do you have a favorite habit that works in your kitchen? Share with us and our readers in the comments below!

Related Post:

The Kitchn's "Kitchen Habits of Good Cooks" Series Is Our Friday Link

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino

(Adapted for BostonZest from one of our Fresh & Local newspaper columns.)

October 4, 2017
Make a North End Muffuletta

Sometimes we eat something delicious because we need that particular item for a photo shoot. That was the case of a recent muffuletta adventure. For a recipe we turned to our old friends at Serious Eats. (How to Make Classic New Orleans Muffulettas.)

(Note: We've seen more than one spelling for the name of this sandwich, but we're going with Muffuletta as used by Central Grocery in New Orleans, "home of the original Muffuletta.")

Here is our version, before pressing. We were pretty pleased with the result. Naturally, there are things we would do a bit differently (more oil in the olive salad) next time, but it was delicious! This was part of a newspaper column we were doing on "Sandwiches for a Crowd."

Finding the Bread

Over on Serious Eats, Kenji wrote, "This is the only ingredient that is truly difficult to source outside of New Orleans." Penny remembered Scali bread at Bova's Bakery in the North End that seemed to fit the specs. So off we went to the perfect neighborhood for gathering muffuletta ingredients.

They not only had it but, as you can see, had it in two sizes. Since this sandwich was for a small group, we picked the smaller loaf, but for you the bigger one might be a better fit.

Slicing Up the Filling!

For the filling we walked over to Salumeria Italiana. We knew they would have the meat, cheese, and makings of the olive salad. They thinly sliced everything we needed for perfect stacking.

We bought mortadella, provolone, fennel soppressata, hot capocollo, and, for our own touch and a light color in the center, added a bit of porchetta. The containers hold olives and the pickled vegetables that make up the olive salad.

Step one is to chop those with some capers, mix with olive oil, and spread it on the bread. This is even better when you make it ahead and give the ingredients time to mellow and blend.

Next, stack the meat in layers.

Wrap the sandwich, weigh it down, move it to the refrigerator, and let a few hours do their magic.

We mentioned above that this is a sandwich for a crowd. You can make as many as you need. Prepare the salad ahead, assemble, and weigh-down the beast long before your guests arrive.

Then serve it up on a cutting board and let everyone slice off the size piece they would like. Easy for entertaining, a fall picnic, or to bring to a potluck.

What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino

September 6, 2017
Make a North End Muffuletta

Sometimes we eat something delicious because we need that particular item for a photo shoot. That was the case of a recent muffuletta adventure. For a recipe we turned to our old friends at Serious Eats. (How to Make Classic New Orleans Muffulettas.)

(Note: We've seen more than one spelling for the name of this sandwich, but we're going with Muffuletta as used by Central Grocery in New Orleans, "home of the original Muffuletta.")

Here is our version, before pressing. We were pretty pleased with the result. Naturally, there are things we would do a bit differently (more oil in the olive salad) next time, but it was delicious! This was part of a newspaper column we were doing on "Sandwiches for a Crowd."

Finding the Bread

Over on Serious Eats, Kenji wrote, "This is the only ingredient that is truly difficult to source outside of New Orleans." Penny remembered Scali bread at Bova's Bakery in the North End that seemed to fit the specs. So off we went to the perfect neighborhood for gathering muffuletta ingredients.

They not only had it but, as you can see, had it in two sizes. Since this sandwich was for a small group, we picked the smaller loaf, but for you the bigger one might be a better fit.

Slicing Up the Filling!

For the filling we walked over to Salumeria Italiana. We knew they would have the meat, cheese, and makings of the olive salad. They thinly sliced everything we needed for perfect stacking.

We bought mortadella, provolone, fennel soppressata, hot capocollo, and, for our own touch and a light color in the center, added a bit of porchetta. The containers hold olives and the pickled vegetables that make up the olive salad.

Step one is to chop those with some capers, mix with olive oil, and spread it on the bread. This is even better when you make it ahead and give the ingredients time to mellow and blend.

Next, stack the meat in layers.

Wrap the sandwich, weigh it down, move it to the refrigerator, and let a few hours do their magic.

We mentioned above that this is a sandwich for a crowd. You can make as many as you need. Prepare the salad ahead, assemble, and weigh-down the beast long before your guests arrive.

Then serve it up on a cutting board and let everyone slice off the size piece they would like. Easy for entertaining, a fall picnic, or to bring to a potluck.

What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino

September 6, 2017
Compound Butter Is Sous Vide Cooking’s Best Friend

As I learn to get the best results from my new Joule Sous Vide circulator, I check a number of sites and recommendations for each new item I cook. Often a writer will recommend marinating or adding oil and herbs to the cooking bag with meat or fish.

Sometimes a plan calls for searing with herbs and butter as in this guide for Butter-Basted Sous Vide Halibut from one of my food mentors Kenji Alt-Lopes over on Serious Eats.

It dawned on me that a lot of the time I spend preparing a bag of goodies for their sous vide bath includes using a Microplane or chopping ingredients to add to the bag or to use in the final sear in my trusty cast iron skillet.

Compound Butter is a Sous Vide Winner!

Kenji's recipe inspired me to make a compound butter of parsley, thyme, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and unsalted butter. I melted a bit in the microwave and mixed it with olive oil to add to the sous vide bag with the halibut. Another chunk was added to the pan when I was searing. As this melted, I tipped the pan and spooned the buttery mélange over the fish. The rest of the batch was popped into the freezer.

You can use a food processor to mix the flavor agents into your butter, but unless I'm making a large batch, I just mince my flavors together and use a fork to blend them into the butter right on my cutting board.

This technique not only allows you to prepare a bunch of small batches with different flavors, but it also makes cleanup a lot easier.

Form a log with the butter you are not going to use.

Wrap it, label it, and pop it in the freezer for your next sous vide adventure. With a selection of compound butters in your freezer, your next sous vide dish will take even less prep time.

What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?

Details:

Words: Penny Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino

January 18, 2017
Compound Butter Is Sous Vide Cooking’s Best Friend

As I learn to get the best results from my new Joule Sous Vide circulator, I check a number of sites and recommendations for each new item I cook. Often a writer will recommend marinating or adding oil and herbs to the cooking bag with meat or fish.

Sometimes a plan calls for searing with herbs and butter as in this guide for Butter-Basted Sous Vide Halibut from one of my food mentors Kenji Alt-Lopes over on Serious Eats.

It dawned on me that a lot of the time I spend preparing a bag of goodies for their sous vide bath includes using a Microplane or chopping ingredients to add to the bag or to use in the final sear in my trusty cast iron skillet.

Compound Butter is a Sous Vide Winner!

Kenji's recipe inspired me to make a compound butter of parsley, thyme, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and unsalted butter. I melted a bit in the microwave and mixed it with olive oil to add to the sous vide bag with the halibut. Another chunk was added to the pan when I was searing. As this melted, I tipped the pan and spooned the buttery mélange over the fish. The rest of the batch was popped into the freezer.

You can use a food processor to mix the flavor agents into your butter, but unless I'm making a large batch, I just mince my flavors together and use a fork to blend them into the butter right on my cutting board.

This technique not only allows you to prepare a bunch of small batches with different flavors, but it also makes cleanup a lot easier.

Form a log with the butter you are not going to use.

Wrap it, label it, and pop it in the freezer for your next sous vide adventure. With a selection of compound butters in your freezer, your next sous vide dish will take even less prep time.

What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?

Details:

Words: Penny Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino

January 18, 2017
Quick Refrigerator Pickled Beets with Shallots

Ed and I both love pickled beets and it's one of those side dishes that I can ad lib with what is around the kitchen.

This week's batch has shallots and a shot of wasabi powder. (Horseradish is a very traditional beet seasoning but I didn't have any fresh horseradish, so I used the powdered kind better known as wasabi powder.) If you happen to have some real wasabi or real dried wasabi, that would be even better.

I like to give the shallots a head start in the pickling base. Here, one thinly sliced shallot was broken into rings and is pickling in a mixture of seasoned rice vinegar, with wasabi powder, ground black pepper and salt to taste. I let that sit while I prepare the beets. Once the beets are added, they only need a good mix and maybe 15 minutes of sitting to be ready to eat. But, they're great for the next few days.

While I often make this with oven-roasted beets from the farmers market, I do keep packaged, steamed beets on hand in the refrigerator and used those for this recipe. So, even if you don't cook, you can make pickled beets. The packaged products are tasty and keep for a good long time in the refrigerator.

To keep the mess under control, I empty the package into my work bowl, then lift out the beets one at a time and cut them in my hand with a small knife, just the way your grandmother probably did. My hands cleaned up a lot easier than a cutting board. But, if you feel safer using proper knife technique and a cutting board, you should do that.

While I don't preserve these beets with the proper canning method, I do transfer them to a canning jar for their trip to the refrigerator. You can add oil to this mixture or substitute your favorite vinaigrette for my seasoned vinegar mix.

What's on your Food Lover's shopping list? Consider buying a few extra canning jars, if you don't already have an ample supply.

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photos: ©2015 Penny Cherubino

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